how do I find a lost excel file?

Question

After editing and closing out an excel work tracker, it completely disappeared. When I try to find it I get an error message that says action couldn't be performed, office doesn't recognize the command

Answer 1

To find a lost Excel file, you can follow these steps:

1. Check for AutoRecover Files: Excel has an AutoRecover feature that saves versions of your workbook. You can check for these files by opening Excel and going to File > Open > Recent. Look for a section labeled "Recover Unsaved Workbooks" at the bottom of the recent files list.
2. Search for Temporary Files: Sometimes, Excel creates temporary files that can be recovered. You can look in the folder where you usually save your files or check the following locations:
   • C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles
   • C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Local\Temp
3. Use Windows Search: You can use the Windows search feature to look for your file. Type *.xlsx in the search bar to find all Excel files on your computer.
4. Check the Recycle Bin: If the file was accidentally deleted, it might be in the Recycle Bin. Open it and see if your file is there.
5. Repair Office: If you are receiving an error message stating that Office doesn't recognize the command, it might be helpful to repair your Office installation. You can do this by going to Control Panel > Programs > Uninstall a program, selecting Microsoft 365, and then choosing the repair option.

If these steps do not help you recover your file, you may need to consider using file recovery software or restoring from a backup if available.

Answer 2

Hi @Jolie Mcgowan,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

Based on your sharing, I suggest you should go checking these places to see if you can find your Excel file:

1/ Excel unsaved workbook

• In your Excel app, go to File > Open > Recover Unsaved workbook > check in the list if your work tracker is in there.

2/ Check AutoRecover folder

• Press Windows+R to open Run dialog and paste %appdata%\Microsoft\Excel then press OK

• In that folder, look if Excel has any AutoSaved version of your work tracker so it can help you recover it.

3/ Using Version history in OneDrive/SharePoint

• If your file is stored in OneDrive, you can go to OneDrive on the web > My Files > select the file > right click and select Version History > recover the version from before it disappears.

About the error message you received, this error usually arises from corrupted files or misconfigured settings in Microsoft Office. To resolve this issue, the most effective way is fully repairing Office installation:

• Go to Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features.  

• Find Microsoft Office, right-click, and choose Change.   
• Select Quick Repair. If that doesn’t work, try Online Repair.   

For further analysis and workarounds, you can refer to Office doesn’t recognize the command it was given

(Note: We're providing this information as a convenience to you. The sites are not controlled by Microsoft and we can't make any representations regarding quality, safety or suitability of any software or information found there. Please make sure you completely understand the risk before retrieving any suggestions from the above link) 

Please follow these steps and let me know if it works for you. If not, we can work together to resolve this.  

Thank you for your patience and your understanding. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments so I can continue to support you.  

I look forward to your response.

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